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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: band · current · key · tube · club · fall · stock · bowl

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. tube — a container
  3. fall — to drop
  4. club — a group
  5. key — the most important part
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. current — happening now
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. club — for dancing
  13. current — electric
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. club — for golf
  17. key — in music
  18. stock — shares
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. current — of water
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com